‘Breaking Bad’ scene fulfilled dying boy’s wish

The pivotal moment in last Sunday’s penultimate “Breaking Bad” episode came when Walt saw his two ex-colleagues on TV, denouncing his contributions to their company’s research. We saw our protagonist transform from willing surrender to the egomaniacal Heisenberg alter ego, bent on revenge.

That twist came thanks to one of the show’s biggest fans, 16-year-old Kevin Cordasco, who died this spring after a six-year battle with cancer. The “Breaking Bad” cast and the creator, Vince Gilligan, visited the boy toward the end of his battle with neuroblastoma and dedicated the first of the final eight episodes to him.

Gilligan offered to disclose how the show ends, but Cordasco refused, hoping to stick it out to the end. Sadly, he didn’t make it. But his contribution to the plot did, Gilligan explained in the “Breaking Bad Insider” podcast.

“Kevin, who was our wonderful, No. 1 fan … he told me that first day I spent with him, visiting him, he told me what he liked about the show and I said, ‘Is there something you feel is missing from the show? He said, ‘You know what, I want to know more about Gretchen and Elliott. I want to know more about Walt’s backstory with them. I want to know what happened.’”

Gilligan obliged and had his writers weave into that pivotal final scene during the “Granite State” episode, when Walt sits at a New Hampshire bar, ready to turn himself in, but sees his former business partners being interviewed by Charlie Rose (a bit of a stretch, but oh well). They tell Rose that Walt contributed next to nothing to their success, when in fact his research helped them make millions. Being slighted so infuriates Walt that he decides to head back to Albuquerque for a revenge involving an M60 and a vial of ricin. And that’s where they presumably will pick up in Sunday’s much-awaited final episode (9 p.m., AMC).